UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

Kirby Heyborne expertly renders the isolation of a teenager who is falling apart in the midst of an icy winter landscape. In this reworking of HAMLET, Jesse Matson's father dies on a deer hunting trip in the snowy woods of Minnesota, and the death is ruled a suicide. After a ghostly visit, Jesse believes his Uncle Clay murdered his father and is in love with his mother. He vows retribution. Avoiding fake Minnesotan accents (thankfully), Heyborne creates authentic characters. Jesse is not particularly likable, but his anger and pain are palpable. Girlfriend Christine Montez, daughter of an immigrant baseball player with handy fists, is empathetic and honest. Jesse's dead father has a voice that is hollowed-out and haggard. A.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2008]